Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-07-28

tAS kAe1Ahoi
to whose constitution states that W,
are organized to "insure domesti,
tranquility" In order to accomplish
this end, government is required t.
deal with well-de6ned evils, which
curse and infest society; to grappl,
with and crush them. Drunkenness,
Is a well-de6ned evil. 1t deranee,
voters, it pauperizes many citizens, il
nils our prisons with criminals, it in,
suits peaceable persons and it demor.
alizes communities. Statistics for ths
State of Maine for 1884 show that the
crimes of several cities were in almost
direct ratio to the number Of LIQUOR
licenses issued to them. DR.. Dug.
dale's excellent article, Marguerite
the Mother of Harlots," will inform
the reader of the strong tendency
there is for degradation and crime to
follow successive generations. Over
SSOO,OO0,00O of the hard earnings OF
the American labcrer is consumed an.
nually in the liquor traffic. An evil
OF such magnitude certainly demands
most careful governmental attention,
and the question naturally arises :
How shall government treat with it;
what is the best method of crushing
it?"
National issues require national
parties to promote them. The tenn
perance cause will never be gained
until its party becomes strong enough
to demand legislation in its favor.
And why should not third party be
organized? The liquor question must
certainly remain a matter OF seconda-
ry consideration to the old parties Of
the country; neither Of them can az
ford at present to engross it in its
platform, because it is opposed by such
a number Of laborers that the defeat
OF the party so favoring it would ne
oessarrily follow. No! temperance
needs party of its own; one that will
come out squarely on this basis and
light the campaigns for its own victo
ry; and there surely could be no time
more favorable to the success of such
a party than the present. For GER
tainly all opposing parties must be
divided on common issues, and such
division does not now exist in the
Democratic and Republican parties of
to-day. The issue that gave them
birth has passed away. They are not
uniform on the tariff question. Both
promise civil service reform and Judi
clous management of public moneys,
while neither fulfill the promises. In
such condition Of old parties, new
born ones are likely to be most p.os-
porous. 1t is true that Prohibition is
not a new party. It's statistics show
that, as early as 1872, it received over
FIVE thousand votes. Still, it is only
in the past few years that it has gained
much prominence.
l have heard ministers object to the
Prohibition party because God, in His
Scriptures, did not forbid the use of
wine-did not, forsooth, declare it a
sin to taste the juice of the grape.
These ministers seem to forget that
drunkenness is forbidden, and that
moderate use of wine begets strong
passion for drink in SO many instan-
ces. Moreover, can We reasonably
expect civil code written out arouad
these laws which are intended for
man s soul-government? Is there any
thing in the Bible prohibiting the
reckless use of firearms in cities? and
still, who can deny the necessity of
such law? God never intended the
Bible to be the statute-book of civil
government. But how would these
ministers rout out this evil from So
ciety? They are among the first to
decry it-and how de they propose to
crush it? Many of them will tell
you moral suGSlon is the proper armor
for the combat. Ministers, however,
surely ought to know that moral sua-
sion will not accomplish this purpose.
The men with whom We have to treat
are too degraded and too insensible to
their own advancement TO be reformed
in this manner. When the loving
wife and starving child cannot per-
suade a man to reform, nothing can.
Furthermore, in this country of pop
nlar liberties, citizens are apt to con-
slider it's laws as the only necessary
and to think that whatev-
ever they sanction is right.
That other alternative Of prohibi-
tion-high hcense-seems equally as
unable to accomplish the desired re-
suit. To increase license is to make
liquor higher, and thus take more
from the purchaser-for experience
surely teaches that if there Is liquor.
people tciH have it.
The morality of licenses seems to me
thev give narsnns laral